FORMAT: VINYL / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Making its vinyl debut, the soundtrack for Alexander Payne’s 2011 Oscar and Golden Globe-winning The Descendants, is not only an excellent companion to the film, but as fine an introduction to Hawaiian slack-key guitar as any music fan is likely to discover. Featuring artists such as Gabby Pahinui, Keola Beamer, Dennis Kamakahi, Ray Kane, Jeff Peterson, Lena Machado, Sonny Chillingworth, and Makana, along with a vintage cut from Sol Hoopii’s Novelty Trio, the music is laid-back, bluesy, and folky all at once, recorded so closely one can hear fingers sliding along guitar strings. It’s blissfully beautiful and well-suited to both the film’s moving storyline and general listening pleasure.
As director Payne states in his short essay in the gatefold sleeve notes, he saw musician Gabby Pahinui’s songs as being The Descendants’ “unifying musical voice, as were Cat Stevens’s, Leonard Cohen’s, and Simon and Garfunkel’s in notable films of yesteryear.” Now, while Payne’s film isn’t necessarily at the level of Harold and Maude, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, or The Graduate, Pahinui’s music definitely fills the same role, and to an equal level, as those other, more well-known artists.
The double LP comes pressed to translucent red 180-gram vinyl – like a beach-viewed sunset – in a gatefold sleeve, in a limited numbered edition of 1000 copies. There’s also a lovely beach postcard, reading ‘Mahalo’. The inner gatefold is, interestingly, a matte finish, while the outer of the jacket is the usual Music on Vinyl glossy finish. It’s a nice contrast, and lends the liner notes some gravitas. In addition to Alexander Payne’s essay, the track listing provides the sources for all the music presented, making it easy for any fan of this collection to seek out the albums from which the individual tracks came. It’s a welcome surprise.
